team Archives

Tech Optimizer

June 18, 2026

Real-World Threats Demand Real Results

AV-Comparatives conducted its Real-World Protection Test from February to May 2026, assessing 20 consumer security products against real-world internet threats. Seven products received the ADVANCED+ award for their reliable protection capabilities. The complete test report is available for free at av-comparatives.org. The tested products included well-known names such as Avast, AVG, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Microsoft, Norton, and TotalAV. The test methodology involved evaluating the products against a curated set of threats and assessing false-positive rates.

Tech Optimizer

June 18, 2026

Companies turn to EnterpriseDB for AI data control

Organizations are increasingly adopting EnterpriseDB's EDB Postgres AI platform due to a rising demand for enhanced control over data in AI systems, particularly in sectors like banking, insurance, retail, and trading. Research from MIT Technology Review Insights indicates that prioritizing AI and data sovereignty significantly predicts success in AI initiatives, with such organizations achieving five times the return on investment. In South Korea, the Industrial Bank of Korea migrated 15 core systems to EDB Postgres AI, citing significant reductions in licensing costs compared to Oracle and improved scalability for future AI services. Shinhan EZ Insurance transitioned its core system to the public cloud using EDB, overcoming challenges related to legacy database licensing and emphasizing the importance of operational stability. Beyond finance, companies like MNTN, Euronext FX, and Kyobo Book Centre have adopted the platform to reduce vendor reliance, manage data workloads, and enhance compliance control. MNTN uses EDB for large-scale analytical processing, Euronext FX has implemented it across four data centers, and Kyobo Book Centre migrated from a costly data warehouse to the EDB solution. A common trend among these deployments is the use of a single Postgres-based platform for transactional processing, analytics, and AI tasks, reflecting an industry initiative to simplify operations and reduce costs. Hensley noted the critical convergence of AI systems with operational data, as AI agents operate against live data in high-volume workflows, highlighting the drawbacks of using separate platforms for transactions and analytics. EnterpriseDB has also received industry accolades for its data management and contributions to the open-source community, reinforcing its market position.

AppWizard

June 18, 2026

The chaos continues

The new Parties feature in Minecraft: Bedrock Edition allows players to invite up to 14 friends to join their party, facilitating easy transitions between worlds and realms, and includes a private chat option. This feature is currently in beta on Xbox, PlayStation, and Windows PC. Additionally, players can participate in two community challenges and a multiplayer adventure, with a Marketplace Summer Sale scheduled from June 30, 2026, to July 28, 2026. All offers and challenges require Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and an active internet connection. Free player jerseys are available for both Bedrock and Java Edition. Participation in online multiplayer and certain challenges requires a platform-specific online subscription, and a Realms Plus subscription is necessary for Realms. Rewards from community challenges must be redeemed by June 16, 2027.

Winsage

June 17, 2026

Windows and Linux users: The deadline to update Secure Boot keys is near

In 2012, a novel bootkit targeting Mac OS X systems emerged, infiltrating the EFI firmware. A basic bootkit for Windows 8 also appeared, compromising the UEFI bootkit. By 2013, a more sophisticated UEFI bootkit named Dreamboat was introduced for Windows. The first documented real-world UEFI attack occurred in 2018 with the malware LoJax, linked to a Kremlin-backed hacking group. In 2020, the second known UEFI malware, MosaicRegressor, was discovered, which verified the presence of a malicious file upon each reboot. New UEFI bootkits like ESpecter, FinSpy, and MoonBounce have since emerged. In response to the threat of UEFI bootkits, Microsoft collaborated with manufacturers to implement Secure Boot, a protocol that uses cryptographic signatures to ensure the integrity of firmware during startup.

Winsage

June 17, 2026

Windows devs rerolled old code to save precious bytes

Veteran Microsoft engineer Raymond Chen shared a story about the development of an x86-32 emulator that utilized binary translation, significantly improving performance compared to traditional emulation methods. During the project, the team faced an issue where a function allocated 64 KB of memory but was optimized by a compiler into 65,536 instructions, leading to 256 kilobytes of code being used to initialize the data. In response to this inefficiency, the engineers modified the translator to replace the inefficient function with a more compact loop, highlighting their commitment to memory efficiency during a time when operating systems prioritized resource conservation.

AppWizard

June 17, 2026

New Rokarolla Android Trojan Targets 217 Banking and Crypto Apps

Zimperium’s zLabs researchers have analyzed a newly identified Android banking trojan named Rokarolla, which targets 217 distinct banking and cryptocurrency applications. It is distributed through malicious websites that impersonate popular platforms like TikTok and Google Chrome, with one identified distribution point being hxxps://infocontablidades[.]it[.]com/. The malware uses a dropper disguised as Google Play Protect to install a second-stage payload and gain Accessibility Services access, allowing it to simulate user interactions and manipulate on-screen elements. Rokarolla downloads counterfeit HTML login pages for targeted applications and overlays them to capture user credentials, including sensitive card information. It can also deploy a fraudulent PIN entry screen, read and send SMS messages, intercept one-time codes from banks, and block incoming calls. The malware rewrites the clipboard, operates a keylogger and screen content logger, and scrapes WhatsApp contact data. It captures screenshots without alerting users and has a resilient command-and-control infrastructure with multiple fallback domains. No product flaws are exploited, and defenses against it include installing apps only from Google Play and being cautious with Accessibility Services. Zimperium’s Mobile Threat Defense and zDefend products can detect Rokarolla, and a list of indicators of compromise is available on their GitHub repository.

Winsage

June 17, 2026

NVIDIA’s RTX Spark launch is huge, but Qualcomm and Microsoft built the Windows ARM foundation

Qualcomm announced the Snapdragon X Elite in 2023, an ARM-based processor that outperformed traditional x86 processors. The Snapdragon X Series featured a custom Oryon core design and was optimized for Windows through collaboration with Microsoft, including the introduction of the Prism emulation layer, which allows x86/x64 applications to run on ARM. Many applications, such as Adobe Illustrator and Discord, now run natively on ARM, showing significant performance improvements. By 2026, NVIDIA unveiled the RTX Spark, an ARM-powered system on a chip, developed with MediaTek, featuring an ARM Cortex CPU and a Blackwell RTX GPU. NVIDIA also announced improvements to Windows for better workload scheduling and support for kernel-level anti-cheat software on Windows ARM.

AppWizard

June 17, 2026

Less than a month before launch, survival RPG Outward 2 delayed into 2027

Nine Dots Studio announced that the release of the survival RPG, Outward 2, has been delayed from July 2026 to 2027. CEO Guillaume Boucher-Vidal expressed regret over the delay, emphasizing the importance of meeting player expectations and the role of feedback from the open beta, which began on June 7. Players reported encountering issues during the beta, and the studio is prioritizing quality over sticking to the original timeline. Boucher-Vidal acknowledged the challenges of ensuring stability for an early access title and apologized to players who planned their summer around the original release date.

AppWizard

June 16, 2026

1 Million Users Donate To Rescue Session Messenger From Shutdown

Session, a decentralized encrypted messenger, has over a million monthly users and has secured its future through community donations after facing a funding crisis earlier this year. The Session Technology Foundation had to reduce its paid staff and warned of a potential closure in July due to a significant financial shortfall. However, the community raised sufficient funds to prevent shutdown, allowing development to continue until at least 2027. The majority of contributions came from everyday users passionate about privacy communication. Session operates without requiring phone numbers and uses a decentralized network to enhance privacy. Under the leadership of Jason Rhinelander, the team is focusing on new features like post-quantum encryption. The organization also aims to achieve self-sustainability with a new paid Pro tier. Co-founder Chris McCabe's public appeal for support in March preceded staff layoffs on April 9, and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin previously donated 128 Ether (ETH) to assist the foundation.

AppWizard

June 16, 2026

Malaysia’s AI agent-powered messaging app Respond.io raises $62.5M, eyes acquisitions

In 2017, Respond.io was founded to help businesses adapt to customer shifts towards messaging applications. It is headquartered in Kuala Lumpur and recently raised million in a Series B funding round, following a million Series A round in 2022. The company reported an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of million, a 169% year-over-year increase, with a 30% profit margin. Co-founders include Gerardo Salandra (CEO), Hassan Ahmed (CTO), and Yaroslav Kudritskiy (COO), who initially started the company in Hong Kong before relocating to Malaysia. Respond.io's platform caters to mid- to large-sized B2C enterprises, facilitating customer interactions across various messaging channels and utilizing AI for efficiency. The target market consists of "high-consideration" businesses, with an ideal customer profile of companies having 200 to 10,000 employees. Respond processes 2 billion messages quarterly and has a unique pricing model based on conversation volume rather than per user. The company emphasizes a data flywheel effect that enhances AI capabilities through increased message volume. Plans for growth include hiring, organic expansion, and strategic acquisitions, particularly in Europe and North America, which are projected to become larger revenue segments. Currently, revenue is distributed with 30% from APAC, 30% from Latin America, and 20% from the Middle East and Africa, with the remaining 20% from North America and Western Europe. Salandra expressed a cautious approach to growth and aspirations for a future public offering on Nasdaq.